In Banja Luka, the commemoration of January 9 as the Day of the Republika Srpska began today, although the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared this date unconstitutional in earlier decisions, first as a religious and then as a secular holiday.
As part of the commemoration, the unveiling ceremony of the Central Memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska was held on the Square of Serbian Heroes.
A formal academy was also held, attended by the member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina Željka Cvijanović, the highest officials of the Republika Srpska, as well as the delegation of the Republic of Serbia led by the Prime Minister of Serbia Đuro Macuta. Serbian Patriarch Porfirije and the clergy of the Serbian Orthodox Church are also present.
The commemoration program will be continued tomorrow, when a liturgy will be served at 9:00 a.m. in the Church of Christ the Savior in Banja Luka, while a ceremonial parade has been announced for 12:00 p.m. on Krajine Square.
The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina emphasized that the observance of January 9 as the “Day of the Republic of Srpska” does not reflect collective and common memory in a multi-ethnic society and that it has a discriminatory character, according to the OHR’s reaction to the announced and initiated observance of that day, which the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared unconstitutional.
The Office of the High Representative (OHR) reminds that the celebration on January 9 represents a clear disrespect and non-implementation of the final and binding decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Disobeying the decisions of the Constitutional Court can constitute a criminal offense based on the provisions of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the taking of legally prescribed measures is the domain of competent law enforcement authorities, especially when it comes to holders of public office,” the OHR statement states.
